"One of the major reasons I left was because I didn't know that I had anything else to contribute musically to that style of music or that band," Green tells Exclaim! "And having written and recorded this album so soon after the last City and Colour one proves to me that this is where I am right now with my songwriting."

While he looks back fondly on his time with Alexisonfire and cherishes the fact that the band finally got its proper sendoff with last year's farewell tour, Green is completely focused on his own work now, he explains. For the new album, the songwriter relocated to Nashville, where he recorded at Blackbird Studio.

"I've never made a record anywhere else but Canada, almost never out side of Toronto or Hamilton," he says. "So I wanted to go somewhere else just to, try it; immerse myself in the record, as opposed to coming home every night."

Green worked with his usual producer, Alex Newport, but brought in brand new session musicians, including Jack Lawrence (the Raconteurs, the Dead Weather) and Bo Koster (My Morning Jacket). "That was a cool experience too, having these really amazing musicians come in and interpret my song ideas in their own way," he says.

But Green is not too concerned about what people will think about the new record. "People get too caught up in wanting to be the biggest and the best and wanting everyone to like them, but that's not reasonable. We're human beings, we all like different stuff. So the success is if I can listen to it and say that I'm proud of it."

Green explains that his main goal with each record is to establish a career that will bring him longevity — a philosophy he adopted back in the Alexisonfire days. "That doesn't necessarily mean I have to be the biggest and the best; it would just be nice if I could continue to make records and play for people."

The Hurry and the Harm arrives via Dine Alone. Find the details of City and Colour's upcoming summer tour dates over here and stream the album here.

Also, read Exclaim!'s new Questionnaire with City and Colour over here.